analyzing Julie Daggett`s essay `The Horror of it All`

The Horror of it All ‘ by Julie Daggett is an excellent example of a speech developed specifically to entertain . The author successfully uses real anecdotes from her life to paint a funny picture that many of us can relate to . She uses the narrative flow of her speech not to persuade or inform , but rather to take her listeners on an amusing emotional rollercoaster

As the text states , after-dinner speeches of this sort often uses humor , but [banner_entry_middle]

the humor should develop naturally during the course of the speech . Daggett uses this technique skillfully in her scary movie tale Not once during her speech does she come out and tell a one-liner joke to elicit a response from her audience . Instead , she begins by providing a glimpse in to her childhood and develops the story through a series of awkward anecdotes . The ups and downs and personal insights she unleashes are enough to evoke amusement or laughter from her audience

One speechwriting website states that The first thirty seconds of your speech are probably the most important . In that period of time you must grab the attention of the audience , and engage their interest in what you have to say in your speech ‘ The opening of this essay does a great job of hooking the listener in and keeping them focus on her speech . She uses the stark imagery of a dismembered man wandering around looking for his head and hands , and tells it as though he had been in the room with her . She describes herself as a child , being frightened of the film and cowering with fear on her father ‘s lap . She also juxtaposes illustrative language and descriptive sentences with short bursts such as They put her in the nuthouse ‘ which jolt and amuse listeners . Her fathers consoling words can be used to create a mood if whispered to the audience . It ‘s okay , it ‘s only a movie

The author further endears herself to her listeners with the opening lines of the next paragraph . She makes fun of herself and her scaredy-cat ‘ ways , though she was only a child . The ability to poke fun at oneself often makes a speaker more human and attractive to an audience . It may also make the listener more at ease with recognizing and admitting that trait within themselves . Daggett goes on to give vivid s of herself as a small child , fearing the dark and insisting that the hall light be left on . She varies her writing style spelling out l-i-g-h-t ‘ and answering it with a humorous quote as her younger self pleads with her parents not to leave her in the dark . She uses action words to put listeners there in the scene : look , look leap ‘ She then transitions logically into the next paragraph as the story moves on through the years

Daggett ‘s speech takes on an entirely new and exciting feel in the opening of the next paragraph… [banner_entry_footer]